from Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun,

The stunning staging setup the NHL has created and revealed for the presentation of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in advance of Sunday’s opening of Hub City has an opportunity to be as much of an attraction as the action.

If the NHL and NHL Players Association can keep the COVID-19 pandemic positive test numbers down, as they have so far, and keep the players healthy and happy, as appears will be the case in Edmonton and Toronto, hockey has a serious shot at upstaging all the leagues and their return to play projects.

The eye-popping set that stretches from one end of the arena to the other behind the players benches and the accompanying game presentation should be the talk of fans from throughout the sports world.

First impressions, in a word: ‘WOW!’

But will it be followed by a ‘WHOA?’

If there’s a worry, it’s that it could all be too much.

The massive staging sets are in place for the televised exhibition games early this week, but viewers won’t get to experience the total effect until all the bells and whistles are engaged on Aug. 1. That will be the start of the playoffs on Hockey Night In Canada, featuring the openers of the Edmonton-Chicago and Winnipeg-Calgary games, and special appearances by Michael Buble.

When that happens, will it be too overwhelming on the game presentation side for most Canadians to handle?

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